Chapter 100: The Final Salute

The next morning, Harry found that Hermione had recovered; she was sitting at the Gryffindor long table eating breakfast, and her complexion looked quite good.

"I hope you can come to my office later." Tang Tang Nade said to Harry as he passed by. "About those things that happened yesterday."

Harry nodded. After finishing breakfast, he followed the familiar Luo En and Neville to Tang Tang Nade's office.

He knocked on the door, and it opened. All the parties involved from yesterday were there except for Zhang Qiu; Harry noticed that Deng Buliduo was also present.

"Oh, good child, you found the Chamber of Secrets and killed the monster." Deng Buliduo said with a smile. "Twice."

"In fact, when we arrived at the Chamber of Secrets, the basilisk inside was already dead." Tang Tang Nade said. "Hermione suffered a great grievance; this is the most important thing."

"What I am most interested in is, I want to know why you wanted to clear out the spiders." Deng Buliduo said gently; Harry even felt he was comforting him.

"I was thinking, no matter what, I had to get you back as a professor first. The Ministry of Magic's..."

Humphrey didn't say—Harry realized he couldn't talk about what happened that night. "Uh, he wrote to me saying that as long as the Chamber of Secrets incident was resolved, even if it was only a superficial resolution, it would be enough to reject the Board of Governors' resolution."

"I admit he was right, Harry." Deng Buliduo's tone remained very soft. "But many times, truth and appearance are equally important, aren't they?"

"Indeed, but for you, this was all within the plan, right?" Harry wanted to see Deng Buliduo's eyes, but they were obscured by the reflection of his lenses.

"It was just a coincidence." Deng Buliduo suddenly looked at Neville. "Mrs. Longbottom once said that as long as you wish, fate will stand on your side, right, Neville?"

"How did you know?" Neville was stunned.

"Oh, when she was a little girl, she often had these words on her lips." Deng Buliduo said with a smile. "I admire this kind of character; this is the quality that a Gryffindor should have."

"I want to ask, if, I mean if." Neville said. "I pulled out Gryffindor's sword; does this mean the sword recognized me?"

"Of course, only a true Gryffindor can wield that sword." Deng Buliduo seemed to be recalling something. "If you accidentally found it, then it can only be said that it was destined that you would have use for it."

"On a side note, Professor." Harry couldn't help but ask. "Is Ravenclaw's diadem also hidden somewhere in the school, waiting for a student who is worthy of its recognition?"

He almost suspected that Deng Buliduo had a hobby of testing students, and that the diadem and the stair spell were tests he set for Lu Na.

Tang Tang Nade's complexion changed visibly.

"I don't know, Harry; I don't know everything." Deng Buliduo said. "In fact, even the Chamber of Secrets and the basilisk were things I only dealt with yesterday."

"Professor Fontroy, do you know something?" Harry turned to Tang Tang Nade.

At this moment, a series of urgent knocks on the door interrupted their conversation; Harry felt that the people outside were almost going to smash the school door down.

"We are the FBI, open the door quickly!"

Deng Buliduo waved his wand, and the door opened. Several large, burly wizards rushed in, each pointing their wands in different directions.

"Calm down, gentlemen, calm down." Deng Buliduo said calmly.

"Tang Tang Nade Fontroy, we have received a tip that you are suspected of child pornography." The lead wizard said. "You have the right to remain silent. If you do not remain silent, then everything you say can be used as evidence against you in court. You have the right to have a lawyer present during the trial. If you cannot afford a lawyer, we can appoint one for you. Do you fully understand your rights as stated above?"

"He was just gossiping about student couples!" Luo En said with dissatisfaction. "You are not from the Ministry of Magic; you have no right to take away a Hogwarts professor!"

"Relax, Mr. Wei Silai, we are law enforcement officers under the Magical Congress; you can simply understand us as American Aurors." The lead wizard said. "Did he engage in inappropriate behavior toward you or your sister? The tip indicates that he frequently exposed his upper body at your home."

"This is slander! You can't just take away a good person like this..." Luo En shouted with dissatisfaction.

"This is a curse." Tang Tang Nade laughed himself. "Sure enough, no one can stay in this position for a full year, and I am no exception."

Deng Buliduo was still smiling as he said: "I cherish the time I spent with you, Mr. Fontroy. And compared to the tragic fates of the previous professors, suffering a false accusation is considered light."

"Don't worry, children, this is not a big deal; I know many great lawyers." Tang Tang Nade pretended to be relaxed. "After I settle these matters, I will come back."

Hermione looked stunned; she gripped her textbook tightly, and it took a long time before she choked out, "I will miss you, Professor."

"Me too, I really hope you can come back soon." Luo En said with empathy; he noticed that Hermione was a bit unsteady, so he leaned toward her side.

"By the way, is Cui Ge going with you?" Harry asked.

"The tip didn't mention Cui Ge; who is that, his accomplice?" The American wizard said aggressively.

"Cui Ge is Professor Fontroy's nephew." Deng Buliduo spoke up; Harry noticed that flames were once again igniting in his eyes. "If you are worried, Tang Tang Nade, I will take good care of him; I will take good care of all the children."

"That's fine, I will send the tuition and living expenses to you, perhaps with some small gifts and pocket money." Tang Tang Nade frowned at the two American Aurors, who glared back without showing weakness.

"Just let him stay at Hogwarts; he quite likes it here. It won't take long for me to return to the country to deal with these scandals."

"You are facing charges of ten years or more, including chemical castration." The lead American Auror said with displeasure.

Hermione couldn't help but lean on Luo En's shoulder and cry.

"Don't cry, Hermione, don't cry." Tang Tang Nade became anxious all of a sudden. "I will be back soon, next year, no, fourth grade, at most fifth grade, I will be back, I promise!"

"Don't worry, children." Deng Buliduo said. "Tang Tang Nade has quite a few friends, and I will also write a letter to explain for him."

"However, I think you'd better not be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor anymore; this curse is really not easy to deal with." Deng Buliduo stood up and patted Tang Tang Nade on the shoulder. "Just take a break in the United States for a while to avoid the curse worsening."

"Gentlemen, you'd better be a bit more polite." Deng Buliduo turned to the American Aurors again. "Tang Tang Nade is a Hogwarts professor and also my personal friend; I believe this is all a misunderstanding."

"We will use your testimony, Mr. Deng Buliduo." The Auror clearly lacked confidence.

"Before I leave, I will answer your last question." Tang Tang Nade suddenly looked back as he walked out of the office. "Don't try to find the diadem, and don't try to wear it, or at least wait until you are in the seventh grade, believe me!"

"Understood, Professor, I will remember." Harry said sincerely.

"He is really so gentle, I'm crying to death." Hermione had already buried her face in Luo En's shoulder.

"By the way, Professor, what does the curse you mentioned mean?" Neville asked.

"Oh, perhaps it's fine to tell you." Deng Buliduo sat back down in his chair. "Ever since Voldemort applied for this position and was rejected by me, he set a curse. No Defense Against the Dark Arts professor can stay here for a full year. I am still having a headache about how to find the next professor."

Under Harry and Neville's awkward gazes, Deng Buliduo reached out and touched their heads. "You have grown up so fast; perhaps after you graduate, I will also invite you to challenge this position."

"I prefer Herbology!" Neville said anxiously.

Harry couldn't help but laugh; he knew Deng Buliduo was joking.

"Alright, children, I should go prepare for the farewell banquet." Deng Buliduo also winked with a smile. "You must comfort Hermione well; having a favorite professor resign is a sad thing."

The remaining days of the school year passed in the mist of bright sunshine. The exam week without exams made Luo En exclaim, "This is the greatest invention." They stayed up all night in their pajamas, holding countless parties in the common room.

Finally, the day for awarding the House Cup arrived. Thanks to Harry's good performance in the Quidditch final, Gryffindor deservedly took first place. Even the Slytherins admitted this; several players openly stated, "Although we are very unhappy inside, we can't find any reason to refute it."

At the end-of-year banquet, Deng Buliduo stood up and finished reading the scores, then he winked slyly and said: "But there is one thing we didn't calculate."

"As far as I know, some students heroically stepped forward and solved the Chamber of Secrets problem that has troubled everyone for a long time." He said. "Harry Potter, Luo En Wei Silai, Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger, Jin Ni Wei Silai, Eve Crowley, Hanna Abbott, Ernie Macmillan, Zhang Qiu, Lu Na Lovegood, Draco Ma Erfu, Pan Xi Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Cui Ge Fontroy."

After reading the long list, Deng Buliduo announced: "I want to add two hundred points to the house of each of these children."

With a swoosh, the hourglasses of the four houses all rose by a large margin. Every student in the Great Hall cheered; Harry noticed that Ma Erfu was smiling among the Slytherins, looking incredibly smug.

After the joyful banquet, Harry hurriedly packed his trunk and busily joined the reveling crowd. By the time he finally remembered one thing, he had already exchanged phone numbers with Luo En and hugged him goodbye.

"Oh, that diary is still in my trunk." Harry said as he put the trunk into the car.

"It doesn't matter, just keep it." Eve said with a chuckle. "Ma Erfu looks like he's long forgotten about it."

"But you must not talk to Tang Mu during the summer vacation; using magical items outside of school is against the rules." Harry said. "I will keep an eye on you... no, I will personally hide him in a place where no one can find him." ===== CHAPTER 101 =====